Latest news with #W1A
Daily Mail
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
CHRISTOPHER STEVENS on last night's TV: Creepy AI distracts from Dan Snow's boisterous history of life in Pompeii
A strong whiff of AI hung over Pompeii: Life In The City, as Dan Snow bounded enthusiastically around the ruins near Naples. Animated scenes, apparently created with computer generated images, superimposed ghostly Roman figures against the ancient backdrop. Dan and his fellow presenter Kate Lister took a novel approach to this jaunty history documentary, by concentrating on how the town of 20,000 inhabitants lived rather than died. There were no plaster casts and almost no references to the volcanic explosion of 79AD that buried Pompeii under ash for nearly two millennia. But the reconstructed elements were a real distraction. It's usual on history shows to include shots of extras in costume, silently acting out key scenes. The computer graphics that replaced them were two-dimensional and unconvincing, bad enough to keep me from absorbing Dan's boisterous explanations. A slave and a donkey trundled around a millstone, grinding flour for bread. Two wealthy brothers, former slaves themselves, gazed blankly across the atrium of their luxurious villa. An expressionless woman stood in the doorway of a brothel. These clips were played repeatedly, and each time I thought, 'That looks weird. Why not use human extras?' For many actors, jobs as extras are a lifeline — a way of making contacts as well as money, and perhaps earning an Equity card. Supplanting people with AI is a bad idea for everyone. This ought to be obvious. And yet, the BBC is embracing AI with gusto. Its online news service now employs Artificial Intelligence to generate summaries of long stories, according to Rhodri Talfan Davies, who is 'BBC Executive Sponsor of Gen AI'. That sounds like a title stolen from the sitcom W1A but I promise it's real. If the Beeb is willing to auto-create news copy with computers, how long until they replace the scriptwriters, too? AI could probably churn out inane patter for celebrity quiz shows and the commentary for sports events. Would we even notice the difference? Thankfully, on the evidence of this Pompeii documentary, I believe we would. The non- human extras were unrealistic enough to be subtly creepy. Despite the AI distractions, we did learn that Romans rarely got a full night's sleep. Archaeologist Dr Hannah Platts explained they went to bed at nightfall, but got up in the small hours to carry out chores by candlelight. Then they tucked in for a second kip till dawn. That sounds a hideous idea, a sort of mass insomnia. To make it even more exhausting, their working week was nine days long. On the other hand, they had about 100 days off each year, probably to catch up on their sleep. We were also told that Roman laundries used human urine to bleach togas. This was such a lucrative business that the Emperor Vespasian slapped a tax on wee. Don't tell Chancellor Rachel Reeves. She's already taking the proverbial.
Scottish Sun
30-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Scottish Sun
TV star reveals she's pregnant with her first baby with pic of her huge baby bump
The couple were quickly flooded with congratulatory messages from friends and fans baby joy TV star reveals she's pregnant with her first baby with pic of her huge baby bump TV STAR Ophelia Lovibond has revealed she's pregnant, sharing a picture of her huge baby bump. Ophelia, 39, best known for her roles in Guardians of the Galaxy and the BBC's W1A, is expecting her first baby with her actor husband Henry Pettigrew, 41. 5 Ophelia Lovibond and her husband Henry Pettigrew are expecting their first baby Credit: Instagram 5 The TV star shared a gorgeous picture of her bump Credit: Instagram The actress, who met Henry while playing his lover on stage, shared the news on Instagram today, posting a black-and-white photo that revealed her growing tummy. In the beachside snap, Ophelia is seen barefoot in a bikini and open shirt, smiling as she gently cradles her belly, her face partly shaded by oversized sunglasses. She wrote in her caption: "Baby on the way!" The couple were quickly flooded with congratulatory messages from friends and fans. Pixie Lott commented: 'congratulations!' while Sophie Ellis-Bextor added: 'Woo! Congratulations! Happy news xxxx.' Laura Whitmore also wrote: 'Congrats lovely. The best x.' The pair first met in 2015 during their joint appearance in Lucy Prebble's play The Effect, where they played characters who fall in love. At the time, Ophelia was dating actor Tom Hughes, who later became romantically involved with Jenna Coleman after the pair starred as husband and wife in ITV's Victoria. The couple later tied the knot in 2022. Who is Ophelia Lovibond? Ophelia grew up in Shepherd's Bush, in London. Feel Good - Official Trailer - Mae Martin stars as herself, a Canadian comedian living in London She grew up with her single mother, who worked as a psychologist at Wormwood Scrubs Prison. Lovibond was schooled at Latymer Upper on a scholarship and went on to study English at the University of Sussex, graduating with a first class degree. She landed her first ever acting job at the age of just 12 in the Channel 4 sitcom The Wilsons. Lovibond is now based in Hornsey, North London, where she lives with her sausage dog, Frank. Lovibond was also close friends with the late TV presenter Caroline Flack. What TV programmes has Ophelia Lovibond starred in? Ophelia is known for her role as Binky in comedy-drama television series Feel Good. She is also known for playing Erica in Andy Wolton's TV show Trying and Twenty Twelve spin-off W1A as Izzy Gould. Lovibond also played Kitty Winter in the US sitcom, Elementary - based on Sherlock Holmes. On the big screen, Ophelia played Carina in Thor: The Dark World and picked up the role for cult-favourite Guardians of the Galaxy. She also featured in Roman Polanski's Oliver Twist in 2005. The actress has also had some high-profile roles on stage, starring in The Bay at Nice alongside Penelope Wilton and in The Libertine at Theatre Royal Haymarket alongside Dominic Cooper. 5 The couple tied the knot in 2022 Credit: Instagram 5 Ophelia is best known for her role in Guardians of the Galaxy Credit: Disney/Marvel
The Irish Sun
30-06-2025
- Entertainment
- The Irish Sun
TV star reveals she's pregnant with her first baby with pic of her huge baby bump
TV STAR Ophelia Lovibond has revealed she's pregnant, sharing a picture of her huge baby bump. Advertisement 5 Ophelia Lovibond and her husband Henry Pettigrew are expecting their first baby Credit: Instagram 5 The TV star shared a gorgeous picture of her bump Credit: Instagram The actress, who met Henry while playing his lover on stage, shared the news on Instagram today, posting a black-and-white photo that revealed her growing tummy. In the beachside snap, Ophelia is seen barefoot in a bikini and open shirt, smiling as she gently cradles her belly, her face partly shaded by oversized sunglasses. She wrote in her caption: "Baby on the way!" The couple were quickly flooded with congratulatory messages from friends and fans. Advertisement read more on pregnant stars Pixie Lott commented: 'congratulations!' while Laura Whitmore also wrote: 'Congrats lovely. The best x.' The pair first met in 2015 during their joint appearance in Lucy Prebble's play The Effect, where they played characters who fall in love. At the time, Ophelia was dating actor Tom Hughes, who later became romantically involved with Advertisement Most read in Celebrity The couple later tied the knot in 2022. Who is Ophelia Lovibond? Ophelia grew up in Shepherd's Bush, in London. Feel Good - Official Trailer - Mae Martin stars as herself, a Canadian comedian living in London She grew up with her single mother, who worked as a psychologist at Wormwood Scrubs Prison. Lovibond was schooled at Latymer Upper on a scholarship and went on to study English at the University of Sussex, graduating with a first class degree. Advertisement She landed her first ever acting job at the age of just 12 in the Channel 4 sitcom The Wilsons. Lovibond is now based in Hornsey, North London, where she lives with her sausage dog, Frank. Lovibond was also close friends with the late TV presenter Caroline Flack. What TV programmes has Ophelia Lovibond starred in? Ophelia is known for her role as Binky in comedy-drama television series Feel Good. Advertisement She is also known for playing Erica in Andy Wolton's TV show Trying and Twenty Twelve spin-off W1A as Izzy Gould. Lovibond also played Kitty Winter in the US sitcom, Elementary - based on Sherlock Holmes. On the big screen, Ophelia played Carina in Thor: The Dark World and picked up the role for cult-favourite Guardians of the Galaxy. She also featured in Roman Polanski's Oliver Twist in 2005. Advertisement The actress has also had some high-profile roles on stage, starring in The Bay at Nice alongside Penelope Wilton and in The Libertine at Theatre Royal Haymarket alongside Dominic Cooper. 5 The couple tied the knot in 2022 Credit: Instagram 5 Ophelia is best known for her role in Guardians of the Galaxy Credit: Disney/Marvel 5 She also starred in the BBC's W1A Credit: Handout Advertisement
The Sun
30-06-2025
- Entertainment
- The Sun
TV star reveals she's pregnant with her first baby with pic of her huge baby bump
TV STAR Ophelia Lovibond has revealed she's pregnant, sharing a picture of her huge baby bump. Ophelia, 39, best known for her roles in Guardians of the Galaxy and the BBC 's W1A, is expecting her first baby with her actor husband Henry Pettigrew, 41. 5 The actress, who met Henry while playing his lover on stage, shared the news on Instagram today, posting a black-and-white photo that revealed her growing tummy. In the beachside snap, Ophelia is seen barefoot in a bikini and open shirt, smiling as she gently cradles her belly, her face partly shaded by oversized sunglasses. She wrote in her caption: "Baby on the way!" The couple were quickly flooded with congratulatory messages from friends and fans. The pair first met in 2015 during their joint appearance in Lucy Prebble's play The Effect, where they played characters who fall in love. At the time, Ophelia was dating actor Tom Hughes, who later became romantically involved with Jenna Coleman after the pair starred as husband and wife in ITV 's Victoria. The couple later tied the knot in 2022. Who is Ophelia Lovibond? Ophelia grew up in Shepherd's Bush, in London. Feel Good - Official Trailer - Mae Martin stars as herself, a Canadian comedian living in London She grew up with her single mother, who worked as a psychologist at Wormwood Scrubs Prison. Lovibond was schooled at Latymer Upper on a scholarship and went on to study English at the University of Sussex, graduating with a first class degree. She landed her first ever acting job at the age of just 12 in the Channel 4 sitcom The Wilsons. Lovibond is now based in Hornsey, North London, where she lives with her sausage dog, Frank. Lovibond was also close friends with the late TV presenter Caroline Flack. What TV programmes has Ophelia Lovibond starred in? Ophelia is known for her role as Binky in comedy-drama television series Feel Good. She is also known for playing Erica in Andy Wolton's TV show Trying and Twenty Twelve spin-off W1A as Izzy Gould. Lovibond also played Kitty Winter in the US sitcom, Elementary - based on Sherlock Holmes. On the big screen, Ophelia played Carina in Thor: The Dark World and picked up the role for cult-favourite Guardians of the Galaxy. She also featured in Roman Polanski's Oliver Twist in 2005. The actress has also had some high-profile roles on stage, starring in The Bay at Nice alongside Penelope Wilton and in The Libertine at Theatre Royal Haymarket alongside Dominic Cooper. 5 5 5
Yahoo
20-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Meet the North East teen taking on Jodie Comer and Aaron Taylor-Johnson
Fourteen-year-old actor Alfie Williams made his feature debut in 28 Years Later, an experience he said was 'fantastic', and at the North East gala screening of the film, all eyes were on the young star. Alfie shares the screen with some of the country's finest actors, including Jodie Comer, Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Ralph Fiennes. Working with Oscar-winning director Danny Boyle to shoot the film was an experience he enjoyed. "It was so crazy because there were so many things going on! It was amazing, I had a really great time," he said on the black carpet outside the Tyneside Cinema. "You know, Aaron, Jodie, Mr Fiennes, even Danny made it really easy for me. It was a lot of laughs, and it was really intense anda fantastic experience." Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Alfie Williams and Jodie Comer arriving at the 28 Years Later world premiere. (Image: Ian West/PA Wire) The Gateshead lad has been acting since the age of seven, but nothing more than short films and commercials. He isn't even old enough to watch the film, which has a 15 certificate. But did he find it scary on set? "I don't know about scary, but it was very intense," he said. "I mean, getting chased by naked people is always going to be intense! "It was a lot of fun. Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Jodie Comer both looked after me. And then working with Mr Fiennes is always a privilege. "There's a lot of pressure when you're leading a film, and I've not done anything like this prior, so I hope people like it. I tried my best." Alfie with director Danny Boyle. (Image: The Northern Echo) Alfie knows that with the pressure also comes the privilege of representing the region on world screens, and even said his schoolmates have been texting him images of him on the side of buses around the region "It's great to be here and to represent the North East. I love it here. I was raised here," Alfie said. "There's a lot of beautiful places throughout the film and Holy Island is definitely one of them. We had a couple of weeks there." Starbucks to open new drive-through cafe in County Durham business park Parents 'devastated' at closure of County Durham nursery despite hopes of being saved BBC confirms W1A sequel with Hugh Bonneville as Ian Fletcher after 8 years Would Holy Island be the perfect place to survive a zombie apocalypse though? "Me and Danny have talked about this a lot of times," he confessed. "If this happened in real life - let's hope not - a lot of people would go there, and Danny thinks it would be overpopulated."
